Link popularity refers to the number and quality of the incoming links that are pointing to your site. No marketing tool can replace the effectiveness of word of mouth advertising. The same principle applies to website links. When a trusted site links to yours, people follow the recommendation. That is how linking works.
Reciprocal Link exchange is an effective way to establish links from related websites. In reciprocal link exchange process, you trade links with related potential partner sites by offering a link back to their site from your site.